Millennials are lazy. Millennials are entitled. Marketers have heard this over and over again. The truth is that these presumptive labels are far from true. Looking for proof? LinkedIn’s team was more than happy to repel any associated stigmas with an in–depth look into how millennials work and play.

With insights backed by LinkedIn data, I’m here to dispel many of those stereotypes and shine a light on all the positives of being a Millennial.

One major focal point highlighted in the 50-page playbook is that all millennials aren’t all created equal. Based on Carat Research, LinkedIn created four personas highlighting the common types of millennials.

Each sector is broken down with insight that includes:

Character traits

Content consumption habits

Median age

Mindset

Social channels of choice

Marketing to millennials? Here are the different types of content they love to engage with:

Why it matters: ? ≠ ?

Did you know that the purchasing power of millennial parents alone is valued at $200 billion? Money, money, money. Smart marketers know the true value of millennials. Instead of relying solely on traditional marketing methods to engage with the demographic, start thinking like one of them. It’s time to look beyond the falsehoods and understand what they want, how they consume content and where to reach them.

Traditional marketing still holds value. However, when it pertains to marketing to millennials, it may not be the right approach.

Millennials use social media nearly 40% more than word of mouth marketing.

Magisto

According to a new survey by Magisto, marketing trends for small and medium-sized businesses are shifting to digital sharing strategies and millennials are at the forefront of igniting viral conversations and are turning to video as their chosen form of communication.

Why it matters: ? ? ?

Much like keeping a close eye on the competition, it’s not cheating when you build off of another business’ successes–it’s smart marketing. What better way to market to millennials than to mimic the type of content they’re already publishing and engaging with? Old habits are hard to kick and if your brand is still hesitant to put its time and resources into content creation, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.

What did you learn from LinkedIn’s playbook? Do you agree with all of their findings? How is your business currently using video? Let us know in the comments below!